Missouri to Georgia: master HVAC technician license reciprocity

Georgia has no 'master HVAC' license; its highest person-held HVAC credential is the statewide Conditioned Air Contractor license issued by the Construction Industry Licensing Board's Division of Conditioned Air Contractors to an individual who documents experience and passes the PSI-administered exam with a score of at least 70. It comes in two classes: Class I (Restricted) covers systems up to 175,000 BTU of heating and 60,000 BTU of cooling, and Class II (Non-Restricted) is unrestricted, so Class II is the master-level equivalent used here. A Class II applicant needs five years of experience under Rule 121-3-.04 (two years of installation as a lead mechanic with at least one commercial year, one year as a service technician or supervisor, two years of commercial supervisory experience), EPA Section 608 certification of Type II or higher, a Board-approved heat loss and gain and duct design course (Manuals J&D) plus Manuals N&Q or Carrier Design 1-3, three notarized references from licensed professionals, and a local law-enforcement background check; the exam application fee is $110 through the GOALS portal, and the PSI exam fee is paid to the vendor. The licensee then serves as the qualifying licensee for a registered conditioned air company. The Board's FAQ states that 'Reciprocity with other states is not offered at this time' and its online guide has no reciprocity application type; the Board's 2022 paper reciprocity form, which is no longer accepted, named Louisiana as the sole reciprocal state and recorded that South Carolina and Texas reciprocity stopped on April 15, 2022 pending renegotiation. An out-of-state HVAC contractor therefore applies by examination, with experience earned elsewhere documented on the experience record. Licenses renew by November 30 of odd-numbered years with 4 hours of continuing education per year; applications are generally processed within 20 business days.

Missouri does not issue a master HVAC license or a statewide mechanical contractor license; the Division of Professional Registration licenses no HVAC or mechanical profession, and unlike the electrical trade there is no voluntary statewide contractor license for HVAC. The master-level credential exists only at the local level under names that vary by jurisdiction: Springfield certifies Master Mechanical craftsmen (4 years as a certified journeyman or 10 years of experience, ICC exam, $50), Kansas City issues a mechanical certificate of qualification to the supervisor who qualifies a licensed mechanical contractor (Prometric or ICC exam, $60 application, $181 four-year renewal), and St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis license mechanical contractors through their boards of examiners. An out-of-state master HVAC license carries no state-level recognition in Missouri, and none of these jurisdictions publish a reciprocity path for it; Springfield accepts an identical ICC, Prometric, Experior or Block exam score in place of retesting and Kansas City may accept a comparable exam it deems equivalent. A master arriving from another state should expect to qualify in each jurisdiction separately and then obtain that jurisdiction's mechanical contractor license to pull permits. EPA Section 608 certification is a separate federal requirement.